Chapter 587 - 381: Journey to Tokyo (10)
"This has to be a dream. Otherwise, how could you suddenly be here when you’re supposed to be busy in Linzhou? It’s so far away."
Chen Yuan raised his hand to wipe away Jiang Yao’s tears, a pang of heartache welling in his eyes.
He knew full well that he was the one who had forced Jiang Yao to leave Lanjing. If it weren’t for him, she might still be living a happy life. She’d be a carefree homebody, probably staying up all night in her room watching anime and ignoring her sister’s nagging.
If it weren’t for him, Jiang Yao wouldn’t have cried so many times.
But the two sisters didn’t know that every one of their questions, every time they cried, was a torment to Chen Yuan’s conscience. He, too, was struggling endlessly inside, often wondering if he had been completely and utterly wrong from the very beginning.
In any case, their dream-like romance had come to this.
He had flown thousands of miles to be here, and it was, of course, to make Jiang Yao understand.
As their lover, the two sisters held an equally important place in his heart. There was no hierarchy between them. If he had hurt their sensitive, fragile hearts over certain matters, he was willing to do anything to make it up to them.
It was with this thought in mind.
Chen Yuan reached out and stroked Jiang Yao’s hair, ruffling it with his palm as if he were petting a small puppy.
"Why are you here...? This feels so unreal. When did you get here? I never told you... I hate this! You just had to show up when I was crying. You did this on purpose, didn’t you...?" Jiang Yao’s lips formed an aggrieved pout.
Although he was telling her not to cry, the sight of Chen Yuan only made her tears surge uncontrollably.
The sensation of his palm ruffling her hair was so vivid.
As much as Jiang Yao found it hard to believe, she knew this wasn’t a dream. Chen Yuan had really crossed the ocean to find her. Still, she was filled with shock and confusion. How could he possibly have gotten here so fast?
She had a bellyful of questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t know where to begin.
Jiang Yao kept wiping her tears. She tried to speak several times, only to be choked back by her own sobs. Chen Yuan was amused by her sputtering attempts and thought that Yaoyao was absolutely adorable.
"No, but seriously..." Jiang Yao sniffled hard. "How on earth did you do it? How did you know I came here?"
"It’s a long story. Let’s not get into it here. I’ll take you to a hotel to rest first," Chen Yuan said, picking up her suitcase with one hand and taking her hand with the other. "I’m not trying to laugh at you, but you’re pretty bold, coming to a place so far away with absolutely no preparations. Just look at you, all pitiful."
"Stop it..."
Jiang Yao’s cheeks immediately started to burn. She knew she had made a huge fool of herself this time. She’d talked a big game about being independent and leaving Chen Yuan, but in the end, she was found crying all alone on the streets of a foreign country.
She had her pride, too...
So, Jiang Yao pinched the soft flesh on Chen Yuan’s waist, deliberately acting mischievous. With a cold hmph, she turned her head away and refused to look at him.
’Men are all pigs,’ Jiang Yao thought.
’I’m already so heartbroken, and instead of comforting me, he’s using this to tease me. Even if he’s going to hold me accountable, now is not the time. He should at least try to soothe his poor girlfriend first!’
But annoyed as she was, Jiang Yao still held his hand tightly, a sweet feeling blooming in her heart.
The swift change in her circumstances—from the sorrow of having no one to rely on to suddenly having a boyfriend she could be spoiled and temperamental with—filled her heart with boundless warmth.
’It’s so good to have Chen Yuan here.’
’It’s so good to have him by my side.’
’I love him so much...’
Their clasped hands swayed gently, casting a long, slanted shadow under the streetlight. It was clearly she who was applying a little force, her lowered face flushed with infatuation. It wasn’t their hands that were swaying, but her heart.
As Chen Yuan and Jiang Yao walked ahead, a group of men in suits hid at the mouth of an alley where stray cats dwelled.
The one in the lead was, naturally, Inoue.
The eyes of this group of grown men twinkled as they watched the couple’s retreating figures.
"How romantic! Such a great love!"
"I’m tearing up."
"There’s an old saying in Huaxia, ’A man does not cry easily,’ but in a scene like this, even if you cry, I won’t laugh at you, Mr. Watanabe."
"Gentlemen, don’t let your guard down yet. Our mission isn’t over."
Inoue took out a tissue, blew his nose, and gestured with a wave of his hand.
...
"Where are we going?" Jiang Yao asked belatedly after they had walked a few steps.
"To find a hotel."
"But most hotels are closed at this hour, and the ones that are open are fully booked. Why else do you think I was on the street?"
"Yeah, so what should we do? We can’t very well sleep in a park, push two benches together, or go to a bank, or take a cab to the airport to rest for the night..."
"Why the airport?"
"If there are no hotels today, there might not be any tomorrow either. We can just endure it for one night and then head back home."
"Huh?"
Her happiness lasting only a moment, Jiang Yao’s heart sank upon hearing Chen Yuan’s words. After her "huh," she fell silent and stared down at the tips of her toes.
’Of course I don’t want to go back. It took so much for me to finally decide to leave... And while I didn’t achieve my goal, Chen Yuan chasing after me has actually made me realize something. Leaving him didn’t strengthen my resolve; it just made it clear that I truly can’t be without him. It isn’t just because of love. Habit is a force more powerful than love. I can’t leave this person by my side anymore. More importantly, this is Tokyo! A place where my sister isn’t around, where the two of us can act like a real couple without holding back... Huh? How did I go from being a resolute, clear-headed woman to a hopelessly lovesick fool again?’